Overview
Breast cancer screening is checking a woman’s breast for cancer before there are signs or symptoms of the disease. Although breast cancer screening cannot prevent breast cancer, it can help find breast cancer early while it is easier to treat. The most common breast cancer screening method is the mammogram.
Mammograms use a low-dose of radiation to take x-ray images of the breast to detect cancer, often even in the early stages before women experience symptoms. The earlier breast cancer is detected the better, because this is when it is most treatable. Early detection may prevent the need for extensive treatment for advanced cancers or may decrease the need for a mastectomy. In fact, when breast cancer is detected early and is confined to the breast only, 5-year survival is approximately 99%. This declines to only 26% if the cancer has spread to other parts of the body at the time of diagnosis.
Why
Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths for women in the United States. Breast cancer death rates declined 36% from 1989 to 2012, largely as a result of screening mammography (American Cancer Society, Breast Cancer Facts & Figures 2015-2016).
The lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is approximately 12.5% (1 out of 8 women in the US will develop breast cancer in her lifetime). The risk of death from breast cancer can be lessened if breast cancer is detected early with a mammogram.
Screening Recommendations
American Cancer Society screening recommendations for women at average breast cancer risk: For screening purposes, a woman is considered to be at average risk if she doesn’t have a personal history of breast cancer, a strong family history of breast cancer, or a genetic mutation known to increase risk of breast cancer (such as in a BRCA gene), and has not had chest radiation therapy before the age of 30. (See below for guidelines for women at high risk.)
- Women between 40 and 44 have the option to start screening with a mammogram every year.
- Women 45 to 54 should get mammograms every year.
- Women 55 and older can switch to a mammogram every other year, or they can choose to continue yearly mammograms. Screening should continue as long as a woman is in good health and is expected to live 10 more years or longer.
American Cancer Society screening recommendations for women at high breast cancer risk: Women who are at high risk for breast cancer based on certain factors should get an MRI and a mammogram every year, typically starting at age 30. This includes women who:
- Have a lifetime risk of breast cancer of about 20% to 25% or greater, according to risk assessment tools that are based mainly on family history (see below)
- Have a known BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation (based on having had genetic testing)
- Have a first-degree relative (parent, brother, sister, or child) with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation, and have not had genetic testing themselves
- Had radiation therapy to the chest when they were between the ages of 10 and 30 years
- Have Li-Fraumeni syndrome, Cowden syndrome, or Bannayan-Riley-Ruvalcaba syndrome, or have first-degree relatives with one of these syndromes
Most women at high risk should begin screening with MRI and mammograms when they are 30 and continue for as long as they are in good health. But a woman at high risk should make the decision to start with her health care providers, taking into account her personal circumstances and preferences.
Pricing
Most health insurance plans are required to cover mammograms every one to two years for women beginning at age 40 with no out-of-pocket cost (like a co-pay, deductible, or co-insurance).
For more information or to schedule your screening, please call 304.675.6257.
